A MAN’s SUV had been paid off for years, but was mysteriously towed in the middle of the night by the bank that granted the loan.
When a friend tried to ask why he was taken away, they hung up on her.
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Gurjinder Singh’s Acura SUV was towed from the Harlem, New York, gas station where he worked for nearly 20 years in the middle of the night.
“When I go home and sleep, like 1 a.m., 2 a.m., and someone is, like a towing company,” he told the ABC affiliate WACB-TV.
“They come and take my car.”
To add to the mystery, he discovered that his car was repossessed by the bank that gave him the loan when he purchased the car.
However, he paid every penny by December 2017.
“Why did they take it? That’s my question, why did they take my car,” asked Singh.
He told the outlet he tried for months to talk to someone at the towing company and the bank, but neither were helpful.
“They were blaming each other,” he recalled.
Without an adequate response, he was left without a car.
Until Cristina Arroyo, who works at a nonprofit to help families who are victims of violent crimes, heard Singh’s story.
She knows Singh from the gas station he works at, as she buys her weekly lottery ticket from him.
He showed her the video of the repossession and was surprised.
“I felt so bad. I thought this could happen to anyone. And he’s always here. I know he’s a hard worker,” Arroyo said.
“He’s so polite when I come in, always so kind. And I’m like, how could they do that? It’s not fair. It’s not fair.”
Why did they accept? That’s my question: why did they take my car?
Gurjinder Singh
Arroyo attempted to contact the towing company and bank on his behalf, but was met with hostility.
“I said, ‘Okay, so send me proof of why his car was repossessed?’ Because you have to have a warning, some repossession, you know, a letter, something,” she said.
“‘You can give me this proof so I can have some for my records,’ right? And they hung up on me. I was like, I can’t believe they hung up. Yeah, yeah, they hung up on me.”
Leaning against a wall, Arroyo contacted reporters from WABC-TV to help with the investigation.
Arroyo noticed an error in the repossession notice that reporter Nina Pineda also noticed.
What to do if your car is towed
Unfairly or not, recovering a towed vehicle can be a hassle.
If your vehicle is towed after parking in a “No Parking” zone or other legitimate reason, there are some steps you can take to get it back.
Steps to follow when your car is towed:
- Try to find out why your car was towed. Haven’t you seen a “No Parking” sign? Did you miss your car payment? Have you returned to a lot where there were unpaid citations? Finding the reason may narrow down the phone numbers to dial.
- Locate the vehicle. Most states, cities, or counties require towing companies to leave some type of contact information via a posted or mailed sign.
- Recovery dates and times depend on the company that towed the vehicle, but these times will be posted on the website or may be provided by a representative.
- Pay the fees. Be careful to be as quick as possible, as some towing yards may charge per-day storage fees.
If you believe your vehicle was improperly towed, you can dispute the action by following these steps:
- Be quick – many states have a small window of time in which it is acceptable to file a claim against a company that improperly towed your vehicle.
- Gather supporting documents: photos, emails, receipts, police reports, and witness statements, if applicable. The more evidence, the better.
- Familiarize yourself with local laws, as laws for towing companies vary by state.
- Try talking to the towing company. Sometimes it may have been a simple oversight and the matter can be resolved quickly.
- Contact your local Justice of the Peace as they may have more information or resources to help. They are often used for towing cases.
- Speak to a lawyer. Many lawyers offer free consultations and, depending on the case, it may be worth calling on a lawyer.
Source: Oregon Department of Justice, National General, Rak law firm
Singh’s name was not on the form.
“That’s what he said, he doesn’t even have his name,” Arroyo said.
“Someone made a mistake somewhere here!”
Pineda contacted the finance company, who informed him that the car was repossessed due to a lien that was not paid off by the previous owner.
Three days after the company was contacted, Singh’s car was returned along with a check for $25,000.
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This story originally appeared on The-sun.com read the full story
